Loneliness Does Not Discriminate

Kurt Vonnegut said it all when he said, "the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured." 
Vonnegut, who battled loneliness and mental health issues throughout his life, and whose family struggled with similar problems, understood the impact that loneliness and isolation can have on a person. Loneliness does not discriminate; it has been everyone's friend at some point. It is oftentimes the constant companion for many people, including immigrants and refugees whose friends and families are far away. 
Many immigrants arrive in the United States to already-established cultural communities; this often helps soften the blow of adjustment to a new home. But this is not a solution and we should not expect it to be the cure to loneliness.  
It should be our goal, as people who also experience sadness and isolation and loneliness, to not only provide mental health services for immigrant and refugees to heal from their trauma and understand their grief, but to also help strengthen the communities behind them to relieve their loneliness. To connect them to mental health providers who understand the importance of cultural competency, to make mental health conversations a norm in our own society instead of stigmatizing those who struggle. To lift up all people, regardless of race or country of origin, and let them know that they are not alone. 
Loneliness is not inescapable, but community is integral. Only through community, only through each other, can the terrible disease of loneliness be cured.

If you are struggling with your mental health, please refer to our Resources page to find programs that may work for you. 

---